John the Lucario
by shawn harkins
Summary: A young boy just wants to have a ordinary life but unknown to him he may just be wild at heart.
1. Chapter 1 The Start

Chapter 1

The Start

Hello, let me start by introducing myself. My name is John, I am Sixteen years old and I'm a boy... I have a pritty normal life in a pritty average street... I have a few good friends, But I don't have a big thing for Pokémon... so I just see them as another kind of animal that inhabited our world.

So I was just beginning to wake up when my mother decided to suddenly swing open my bedroom door (Witch made me jump),

and say "Get up or you'll sleep in again"~ ( I have a real bad habit of sleeping in )~So I moaned " Yeah, Yeah I'll be up soon" she replied "Good, Because your breakfast will be getting cold" she then turned on the light and happily exited my room. 15 Mins later (after getting dressed in my school uniform) I stumbled down stairs and into the kitchen... But just before I picked up my toast my mother asked " by the way, have you done that maths homework? "But at those words, I felt the rage from the previous night return... ( I'll explain why ) the previous night, I had been set an incorrect maths homework, a mistake on the teacher's part… But my mother insisted that I was to do it anyway, but I knew that'd be pointless extra work, So we basically had a argument about if I should do it or not. I looked her in the eyes and said " No I didn't do it! … (I am most irritable in the mornings, and easily angered) I don't give a damn if I should do it or not, she made the mistake, end of!" my mother glared back "Ok then, But don't you dare blame me when your in detention…" I grumbled to myself… "So What!"… And then… that's when it happened…

For a brief second… my vision blurred quite a lot, then it returned to normal… I Took a long hard blink, then looked at my mother… only to see her staring back with a look of absolute horror. I Shouted "what?" (I'm still pritty angry) she Quickly ran out the room and grabbed her hand held mirror, then ran back and almost in a mad scream said " John!.. There's something wrong with your face!" I crossed my arms thinking she was taking the piss? she almost shoved the mirror in my face when I noticed she wasn't lying she was completely right, all the colour in my irises had turned pure red… I fell back in shock, whacking my elbow off the wall.

"John… Do you feel Ok?" she said, worriedly, I shook my head "I'm… I'm fine" Thinking to myself (I Hope) she half smiled and said "then your still going to school" and walked out the room… (forgetting about my toast) I sighed, I thought to myself "I hope I am ok", and I set off for the bus. The rest of the journey went by as per normal, I was relieved no-one noticed my altered eyes. until I got off the bus, The head teacher gave me an odd look and said " Come here John, I hope you know drugs will get you expelled, or it might even get you arrested" I shook my head vigorously and replied "Oh no.. This isn't what you think" He asked " Well what is it?, Boy" I nervously replied " this is… well, I'm not sure, it suddenly happened this morning… must just be lack of sleep or something…" he didn't seem impressed with my answer "well… just remember, no drugs" Looking at me with suspicion, Then the school bell rang... So I quickly walked towards my years homeroom.

As I got into the classroom where we waited each morning for the attendance register, I attracted a bunch of different looks from my class, ranging from confusion, to curiosity, and even some got scared. I took my normal seat… but immediately, my long-term mortal enemy (Jack). (You may think that the word 'mortal enemy' might be a strong word to describe a classmate), but he had been spending the last five years of his free time to anger and annoy me. everything about him enraged me, his crooked smile, his always perfectly clean black hair (I myself had a hard time keeping my hair clean, as it was quite long) and even his name was annoying to me now. "Hi… Best friend" he slurred sarcastically, as he punched my shoulder… I glared at him "go find a grave and throw your self into it…" he tutted slowly at me, then raised his middle finger at me… I felt even more angry than I had this morning this time… I began to feel an itching sensation in my wrists, I put it down to being the urge to punch him in the face and nothing more… but I couldn't resort to violence (Well, on school grounds), As I don't think my mother would be too happy about me getting expelled on the second last term of school.

He continued to enrage me, By claiming that my eyes where the result of me making a 'brand new strain of AIDS', and that I should 'kill myself, for humanity's sake'… I felt I couldn't put up with it any more… and I was just about to lamp him one.. When almost immediately, I was subdued by a horrendous burning sensation in my wrists. I shouted "AAAGGHH" and head-butted the desk, at the same time lifting my arms up. I then I felt two almost golf ball sized lumps protrude from the same place, I lowered my arms onto the desk dreading to look (Because of this mornings drama with my eyes) I felt a stabbing pain as if my skin was slowly getting ripped of my wrists. I didn't dare to look, but the pain got worse and worse but then as quickly at it started the pain stopped... I slowly raised my head to notice most of the class around me.. I asked "what's your problem?" the teacher then replied "Look at your hands!" So I did, and to my disbelief I saw one silver spike attached to each of my wrists.. they where the size of ice-cream cones and where as heavy as lead. just what the hell was happening to me!?

Just then a schoolgirl fainted.. and the crowd backed off, my emotions were confusing, a mix of relief at the pain subsiding, fear and bewilderment at my new… features… as far as I knew, a human had never had their eyes turn red from anger, let alone grow spikes… I sighed. The bell rang for first lesson so the teacher commanded the other students to go to class... and as for me.. I was relieved it was over and thought to myself "well… at least it's just my wrists" and left the room.

The first lesson was History, however, I rushed over to the school doctor shortly before to see his opinion on what had happened to me… he looked me over in a way that hinted that he was just as puzzled as me, He then said "well… I'm not entirely sure… your skin around the spikes has healed completely, so whatever this is, it must be genetic… I expect it's some kind of spontaneous mutation, only minor of course" I thought to myself 'ONLY MINOR!', He continued by saying " But it might not be over yet... tell me, what brought it on?" I sighed "this is going to sound lame, but when I got angry, it happened…" he smiled "I know what you mean, but it makes sense… the adrenal rush probably triggers the alterations in your body… I expect the worst of it is over, but if you don't want to change any more, then I advise some serious chillaxing" I laughed… 'Chillaxing'? he was definitely not acting like a highly qualified medical professional… but I had to go with his word.

I finally reached the History lesson, I entered The room after taking a deep breath and went over to my seat... Everyone around my desk slid there chairs away from me. The History teacher then started of the lesson by asking Jack(of all people) to hand out some books.. (I knew it was going to be hell from the start) he then walked like a thug over to the books and decided to lob one at me(while the teacher was looking away), My hunch was correct but I remembered what the doctor said and at the best of my ability's tried to ignore it.. Jack then 'normally' handed the rest of the books out retuned to his seat. we then set about dissecting a random piece of text from a book, it was a book on Pokémon evolution, both of the instantaneous kind, and the slow process that occurred over millions of years. The History teacher's bellowing voice rang out all of a sudden "alright, you need to form up into pairs for the next exorcise!" I grabbed my ears… her voice was normally at a deafening volume, but this time… it was over the top… as if she was a fog horn. Before I could think to choose a partner, she went on to say "I'll be choosing who you work with… okay… you, with you, you with you…" But her voice was at her normal volume.. So i just shrugged it off as stress from the 'spike incident'.

I watched as she proceeded to pair up my friends one by one... until, it dawned on me, there were just four of us left… me, Jack, the short fat guy called George, and Lucy, the girl I… to be honest, had some feelings for… if we were paired up, that'd be ideal. "Okay then!... John, you're with Jack!" she bellowed… I cringed, just the result I wasn't hoping for at all. I immediately stood up and begged "miss… please… you can't pair me up with him… he's… he's…" It was like a arrow to the knee when she shook her head and said "oh come on John!... It's not like its going to kill you" I shook my head "look… seriously… you see this?" I showed her my wrists "that's his fault… c'mon, help me out here…" she sighed "ok, I'll take those toys till you go home" (Thinking it was a joke) she then went to 'take them off' and to her amazement they wouldn't budge... She then quickly let go and corrected her glasses, "well then... you two will just have to get along and work".

Jack then walked up to me, and, standing on my foot, and Grinned "let's have some fun, AIDS boy" I growled "GGRRRRR" I surprized myself as I didn't expect so say that.. he just smiled "oh, you aren't intimidating at all… in fact… you're like a deformed stray dog, so just crawl into a corner and die before you stain me with your 'New AIDS" I would have tried some comeback… but yet again I had been angered, and yet again, there was a mounting burning… this time in the dead centre of my chest… I screwed my eyes shut and shouted "NO! Not again" knowing what was happening... he grinned "I'm glad scum like you appreciate my efforts" suddenly, with the sound of ripping fabric, another spike thrust itself from my chest, I fell back, panting… I could only hope and pray that was the last one, the last thing I wanted to be was a human porcupine… "I knew it… your some in-bred mutant aren't you?" he said in a mocking voice, I glared at him "this is all you're fault… If only you where drown at birth" he shrugged "whatever, your a AIDS carrying inbred waist of space"

The teacher realised the mistake of putting me and Jack together, thinking to herself ' what have I done ' She then separated us for the rest of the lesson… I was paired up with George instead… he's an okay guy, but I felt sorry for Lucy, having to sit with that jerk the whole lesson. At the gap between History and Science, I headed back up to the doctor, I was seriously worried by then, and after all, it's not every day you start to warp in really odd ways just because you're ticked off. When I walked in, I noticed he was busy browsing the internet, he looked around and said "John… just in time, please… take a seat, this is deadly important…" I sat down nervously… I had the feeling that these changes were a lot more than just a temporary deviation. He looked around "have you ever heard of Triggered Genetic Mutation Disorder?" I shook my head, but from the words that constituted its name, I could guess what he was hinting at "so… you've found out what's happening to me then?" he nodded "indeed… I took a small DNA sample from you after you left... just a loose hair, and I tested it… I have some bad news for you, but I don't know how to break it to you…" I rolled my eyes "oh god, I'm going to die aren't I?" he shook his head "oh heavens no… well… I'll break it to you gently… you know your eyes changed… red eyes, what do they remind you of?" I thought for a moment "uhhhm… the flash in photos?" he shook his head "no, no… okay… think red eyes… and the spikes you have, in the places they are in… come on, what does that remind you of?" I thought again… "uhhhm… it reminds me of Lucarios… but… how's that relevant?..." then, I worked it out by myself… but he confirmed my suspicions.

"John, your human genes are unstable… and whenever they are exposed to large concentrations of adrenaline aka anger or embarrassment, they'll begin to change… and judging by what I could gather from your scans and the internet… you're changing into a Lucario" I sat there, dumbstruck… it was like some strange story, or a cartoon… or a film… I could hardly believe it, but it was happening. "Well… th… thanks for telling me… I take it… its irreversible?" he nodded solemnly "if you avoid stress completely, the transformation could take about a month, but it's highly possible it could be finished in mere hours if you become completely enraged" I gingerly asked him "will I… still be able to talk?" he Shook his shoulders "I don't really know, but you'll have no thumbs, so I'd seriously consider getting a scribe for your work at school in future" I nodded, he smiled "c'mon… it's not all that bad… in fact, I know people who'd kill for this to happen to them" I sighed "well… that's not the problem… it's just, well… it's all so sudden, I mean… I'd like to do a few things as a human still…" he laughed "then you'd better not get stressed… I wish you all the best, John"

With that, I left the room… my fate was sealed, but at least I had some time to prepare myself… one thing was for sure, I had to stay the hell away from Jack at all costs. However, luck turned back to hit me in the face yet again, and he was literally waiting outside… he had listened in to the entire conversation. "I knew you were meant to be a smelly little animal all along, it was only a matter of time until your mutty life corrected itself" I tried my hardest not to take offence to what he was saying, but it was hard "aren't you… like, amazed or something?... how come you're still trying to annoy me?" he laughed "if I do annoy you, you'll transform faster, and hopefully it'll be an improvement on that hideous face you have" I could barely suppress my feelings… but I had to hang on…just a little longer "please man, stop… this is really important" he simply shrugged "yeah, I know, and I want to play a part in it… I can't wait to tell you to 'go fetch'…"

That was it, my teeth began to ache, all of them shrinking back, apart from my canines, which instead extended to twice the width and length… it finished, and I stood there, gasping for air "s… see… what you're doing?... j… just stop!" he walked off, saying "I'll leave you for now… but by hell I will finish your little transformation by the end of the day!" I leaned against the wall, putting my face in my palm… I couldn't control my emotions, and as a result, I was going to become a Lucario, for seemingly no reason. The bell rang and signalled that Science was about to begin, so I reluctantly got up and headed over to the labs. I got quite a few strange looks as I walked up to the second floor... I slowly slid open the science lab door and stepped Inside, I attracted even more stares than last time… I could only imagine what it'd be like when the transformation was complete. I decided it was best to focus on the teacher, and try not to attract Jack' attention… he began to say in his dreary voice "today we're testing the effects of intelligent enzymes… they break down and dissolve certain compounds only… I must stress, our school uniforms are made of a material that they can dissolve very quickly, as are most clothes, so please don't get any of the solution on your uniforms" I smiled, remembering the time that the class above us performed the same experiment, and one of the girls accidentally dissolved her skirt…

Snapping back to the work at hand, I set about mixing the chemicals… however, I heard a voice nearby… Jack was talking with the teacher… "Sir… can I ask you a biology question?" I heard the teacher make a sound as if to say yes, he went on to ask "if someone, say, got really embarrassed… would they have a big adrenaline rush?" I froze dead… I knew exactly what he was going to try, I knew full well my time being mostly human was about to end… but there had to be something I could do, something. I turned around to see Jack with a broad grin on his face, holding a flask of the test enzyme in his hand… I began to panic "sir!... please, I mean it, get him away from me!" the teacher put his hand on my shoulder and said "I know your having a hard time, John, but you don't need to worry, Jack is completely fine" I shook my head "no, you don't understand, he plans to!..." but it was too late.

With a devil like laugh, he hurled the flask at me, I went to shield my face, but it struck my waist instead, and shattered, the liquid splattering over my belt. For a brief second, nothing seemed to happen, and I sighed with relief… it wasn't to last, however as, in front of the entire class, my trousers fell to the ground! When, in normal circumstances, I would be embarrassed… I instead became mad… angrier than I had been all day, in fact, all year. I tried to resist my own feelings, knowing I was expediting my own bizarre fate… but I could not, all I could see was my hatred for Jack, and all I could hear was the chorus of laughing classmates. Then, it happened… I stopped dead again… my ears began to fill with a ringing sound, I could taste a rusty flavour in my mouth… my entire body began to burn with unimaginable pain… this was it.

One by one, the classmates clocked-on to my reaction and stopped laughing… they simply watched me in a mix of terror and revulsion. As my face turned red and blood ran out of my nose... With a loud crack, my finger nails quickly grew and my hands began to re-form, My thumbs dropped off into a pot of acid, Two girls then puked and one fainted. My hands still slowly warping into a pair of paws, I could feel the same in my feet, the pain only subsiding when they completely broke my shoes. My ears started to lengthen and I fell to the floor, I doubled over in pain as my entire head began to re-shape. My nose thrust forwards, my ears slowly climbed up onto the top of my head, I had to shut my eyes as the light got too bright for my newly formed vision. My entire back began to crack and pop. My spine extended out a whole meter, my boxer shorts started to rip at the back as my new tail started to grow longer and longer. The severe pain turned into a extreme itching as my body went from the bright red to black and then the itchiness faded away as my body slowly sprouted fur, and my general figure bent to it's new shape, I was hoping I'd be at least a little human by the end of it, but such was not the case… all I had in common with my class now was my intellect, speech, and the ability to stand on two legs… I was now, in almost every respect, a Lucario.

The crowd moved closer as I lay motionless in the middle of the floor (thinking I was dead or something) My left leg twitched and everyone jumped back, The teacher bent over and grabbed my hand (well its now a paw) But at the second he grabbed my paw I bolted into the table and then into the corner of the room.. Dazed by all the pain and shock, I slowly opened my eyes as they adjusted to the light I then looked up with tears in my eyes, The teacher slowly walked over making Shure I wasn't going to attack anyone like a wild animal. I reached out to the teacher and tried to grab his hand... but my paw slid off ( I remembered I have no thumbs ) So I tried to speak but at first all that came out was random noises "sdgrssssssssds... shaee... ssse" I paused for a couple of seconds "s.. see.. what he has done?" he backed away slowly, staring at me in horror "I… I don't know what to say… what just happened to you?" I started bubbling up with tears and looked at the floor wiping my eyes "well... I think you all know what... but I don't really know why... I was told ill stay like this forever" still thoroughly freaked out, he uttered "I… I'm sorry… you… can still… learn, right… your still intelligent?" I half-smiled "yes… yeah I am…" without warning, Lucy stood forward from the semi-circle of shocked pupils and put her hand on my shoulder… I looked up at her eyes… for a brief second, I realised… there was some hope. "Jack, it's not all gone wrong… c'mon, what difference should this make?... you're still that funny guy in the corner, the one we all like, even if you're… you're…" I laughed "a monster, hmm?" she cringed a little "ohh… don't say that… I think you're kind of cute actually with those puppy eyes and puffy tail" I blushed "well… thanks, I…" I was interrupted by our teacher, as he turned to Jack, who was still grinning "you foolish boy!... your mucking about has severely jeopardised his education!... he'll need a scribe to write for him now!" Jack began to laugh "I know, it's so funny!... oh man, I crack me up… hey mut wana play fetch" without further delay, he was kicked out the classroom. "John… do you feel you can carry on with the school day, or do you want to go home?" I thought for a moment, then sighed "I can stay… if I went home, it'd only be letting him win…" he nodded, and turned to the class, clearing his throat "well… there's no denying it, John is not human any more… he's a monst... yes he's a lucario... but I still want you all to treat him the same as before, he's still a person… and can someone please help him write down his results… I mean… with his paws and all that…" a quiet chuckle went around the room, and Lucy smiled "I'll help, John…" I smiled gingerly "okay then…"

I felt the teacher tap my shoulder again to get my attention "John… one last thing… should I phone home and tell your parents?" I nodded "they'll need to know… try to break it to them slowly though… and ehh… what's for lunch?... I'm really hungry…" he smiled and said "will do… and, it's bacon today, I'm not sure what the second option is…" I grinned, the thought of meat was a lot more appealing than normal… in fact, I could feel a lot of new sensations… my tail brushing up against the side of the desk… the sounds.. I swear I could even hear people across the school, now a lot clearer in my new ears, and most significantly of all, the fur… I had utterly no clothing on, after all, my uniform had been shredded by the enzymes, and my transformation… but I still felt warm and cosy…

Maybe it isn't bad after all…

(More on the way soon)


	2. Chapter 2 Ajusting to a new life

**Chapter 2**

**Adjusting to a new life**

The science lesson was difficult to say the least, numerous times I dropped or spilt something, and I had to hold pretty much everything with two hands… or should I say paws. No-one else got any real work done either, as they spent almost the entire lesson simply staring and talking about me; they… and indeed I were struggling to get over just what had happened.( well who can blame them ) However, with Lucy's help, things went well enough for me to get results… I never knew how much she liked me until now, but she was holding the tubes, writing down the resultant numbers and times… all I really did was watch and say thank you a lot. Whilst she was engrossed in one of the many tasks allotted, I felt someone tap my shoulder, it was George. He whispered "John… is this for real?" I smiled "yeah, that's what I thought… but it is… I'm just surprised that no-one has fainted or whatever"

He smiled "yeah, that's good… so… tell me… do you think you like being a Lucario?" I paused for a few moments, then said "well… from what I've been through so far, it's not too bad… as long as I have Lucy by my side to do all the fine manipulations for me, I think I'll be okay…" she smiled "I'm always willing to help…" she then leant closer, and whispered "but I need to talk to you in private later… I have an idea…" I forced a smile "oh… really?... wonderful…" the last time Lucy had a 'plan', She landed me, her and four other guys all in detention.(as she doesn't think the 'plan' through) Shortly afterwards, the lesson ended, and we all left for lunch… I stopped outside and waited for Lucy, whilst struggling to keep a grip on my plastic folder. She walked up to me, and said "do you feel alright?... you looked in pain when you… uhhhm… changed…" I shook my head 'while flashbacks of the excruciating pain came running through my brain'... "I'm fine now… thanks for asking… so… you said you wanted to talk?" she nodded, blushing a little "well… you see… I've always wanted to be a trainer…" I nodded "and?" she kicked at the floor lightly, then smiled "but you see… I've never been able to catch anything at all, let alone a Pokémon… hell, I couldn't catch a cold…" suddenly, I realised what she was getting at… "wait a second… don't tell me… you want me to…" she looked at me pleadingly "I promise I won't actually… you know, 'catch' you in one of those tiny pokeballs… it's just… I would like it if… you'd, well… be my Pokémon…" I sighed, and grumbled "well it would stop other people from trying to catch me" she hugged me, and damn near impaled herself on my chest spike "fantastic!... oh thank you so much John!" I rolled my eyes "but I'm still a person… I don't want to be treated like an animal… just because… I happen to look like one" she nodded "oh, sure… I bet you're so strong…" I sighed "probably not, I was a bit of a scrony weakling before, I can't imagine I've improved much…" she shrugged "ah well, you've always been clever, I can rely on that… anyway, let's head out onto the field, I want to show you off!" I just managed to get words out "by the way.. can you please be more careful about the spike on my chest?" she replied " sorry.. I kind of forgot about that" and with that, she held my paw and half-dragged me down the school and out onto the playing field.

It was a warm summer's day, and the air was slightly humid, but a cool breeze blew over every now and then. Our school is located by a seafront, so the field, on a summer's afternoon was a pretty nice place to be; luckily I was still comfortable despite the combined efforts of the beaming sun and my new coat of fur. However, my attention was soon turned away from my wonderful surroundings and to the small horde of pupils moving towards me. "Whoa!... this is so freaky man, I thought the year 10s were joking!" I heard a voice ring out, followed by another saying "dude, I know!... I got to bring my ones in someday, get them to fight him!... that'd be cool!" they quickly swarmed around me, staring, prodding and feeling… I sighed… so this is what it's like to be a Lucario.

Lucy managed to disperse some of them, saying "c'mon guys, it's nothing you haven't seen before!" unfortunately for me, that was a lie… indeed, where we were, Lucario were incredibly rare, so that alone was enough to attract a crowd, let alone the fact that I was once a human being. Eventually, the novelty of the mob faded, and I began to get annoyed with the constant poking. I jumped two foot in the air when one kid decided to stoke my tail.. it was like someone tickling your foot with a feather, I half-yelled "People… can you please just stop? Seriously, you're tickling my tail and it is quite annoying me getting prodded and pushed about" the majority of them where shocked and amazed by the face that I could talk, so they ran off to get there friends... leaving only a few behind, still keeping an eye on me. Suddenly, a worrying thought came into my mind… 'what if people didn't know I am… or was a human?' "Lucy… I have this horrible feeling people won't be able to tell me apart from a normal Lucario…" she smiled and answered "and how many normal Lucarios talk?" I paused… "well… none that i know of" she nodded "exactly" and patted my shoulder again "I'm sure you'll do just fine…" I sighed "yeah… thanks… it's nice having you backing me up…" she laughed "yeah and I promise I won't put you on a leash" I cringed and said "I'm worried that thought is even in your mind, Lucy… it probably means your thinking about doing it…" she looked side to side and blushed, confirming my point "uhhh… well… maybe it did slip into my mind a little bit…" we both sat down on the wooden bench, looking up at the sky.

"I wonder how my mother's going react… or even if she'll accept me" I said, slowly swaying my tail from side to side… Lucy mumbled "I have no idea… I hope she understands though…" I laid back, resting flat "well, she's already been told, either she's cool with it, or she's in a blind panic driving here right now, screaming 'are you okay my baby boy'…" Nancy laughed "yeah, I could vision that…" it seemed my mind would not cease to be plagued with negative thoughts… I now realised another problem that could occur "Nancy… you know you keep a load of birds at your house?" she replied "uh-huh… is that a problem?" I muttered "if there's one thing I've learned from all my friends who became trainers, it's that every type has a weakness… Lucarios are a blend of 'fighting' and 'steel' right?" she nodded "yup… nice combination" I shook my head "that's not the point… all your birds are flying types… if they pick a fight with me…" she began to laugh aloud "oh John, stop worrying you wuss!... they're in cages, and they're all fat and small anyway!" I kind of felt like a idiot "yeah, you're right… I hope I don't have to do any fighting… or at least, none in the near future…" she smiled "oh come on, it'll be fun… plus, you have that crazy Aura stuff, you'll be ale to stand up to any of the half-baked creeps the people at this school call their own" I perked up "oh yeah… Aura… this means… yeah, I have that really cool sight ability, don't I!... ahh… watching all those documentaries has finally paid off!"

She grinned "why don't you test it out now?" I nodded, and got to my feet… or should I say paws… and surveyed the field. I said " what should i look for?" she said " anything I cant see " Then I remembered back to the documentary, it said that Lucarios had to concentrate to activate their second sight… so concentrate I did. However, just as it began to work, a bell rang out, Knocking my concentration through a loop and signalling that the year 11 pupils were now allowed to get lunch… we both quickly abandoned my little practice and made a mad dash for the hall. As we where running back I noticed that running was a lot easier than i last remember.. But i just kept that thought to myself.

We joined on to the back of the queue, and waited… the scent wafting from the kitchen was driving me nuts, normally it just smelt like food… but now, now it was like a slice of paradise. I smiled and said to myself "this must be what it's like for my dog…" abruptly, as the teacher monitoring the hall walked away, the pupils in the line began to push and shove each other, a common occurrence, they just love wreaking havoc. However I was caught in the middle… now I was a Lucario, I had a much better chance of getting through the situation without injury, but I was much more likely to injure someone else with my spiky appendages… just then a chubby kid fell right on the back of me... but to my amazement I didn't even sway a inch in fact it felt like someone had only put three fingers on my back.. but I couldn't risk it so With a sigh, I walked out of the line and left the hall, leaning on the wall outside, sometimes things just went against me, this was one of them. But then… then I heard a voice nearby… it was that of the deputy head teacher "John… are you alright?" I nodded "yeah… I'm fine, I just left the line… they were shoving about, and I knew that I'd only end up hurting someone by accident" I said, motioning towards my chest-spike. She asked "but… aren't you hungry?" I faked a smile and said "no, miss I…" but I was interrupted by a loud and drawn-out groaning sound from my stomach… she smiled and said "don't lie to me, John… anyway, let's go get you something to eat" and beckoned me to follow her into the hall through it's other entrance, which we are only normally allowed to exit by.

"But… miss… isn't this against the rules?" she simply grinned and said to me "I write the rules, darling…" and told me to stay still whilst she want to get me lunch… without even thinking about it my tail started wagging and I noticed her talking with the dinner lady… she walked out of sight, then came back into view with a large hunk or meat and nothing else… the deputy head then approached me with it, and smiled… my eyes lit up "is that… f… for me?" she nodded "yes, John… I felt it was only right that we give you a… special lunch today, after all that happened" as a human, I'd never have dreamed of eating something so crude, but I am a Lucario now, and as such, it was the most appetising thing I had seen all week. "Th… thank… thank you miss…" I uttered before sinking my teeth into the fresh, I was in bliss, she rolled her eyes and said "at least sit down first, lest you want the whole school thinking your nothing but a wild beast…" I blushed and nodded, quickly sitting down on an empty table before continuing to tear at my prize. I paused halfway-through as Lucy sat down next to me, with her plate of normal food… "hey John… I see they cater for Lucario in different ways to humans…" she joked, patting me on the back. I smiled and wagged my tail more "you know, when it first began to happen this morning… the transformation… I thought I had been cast into hell sideways, but now I actually resented the idea of becoming something else… but now… I actually think I like this…" Lucy laughed "whoa John, you make it sound so cheesy… next you'll be telling me you love me…" I froze on the spot… soon enough, I probably would fall in love with her… I could only hope she was joking around…

"So, what's it like being a Lucario then?" she said… I replied "I have a feeling I'm going to be asked that question a lot… well, pretty good I guess… I love the tail… and… and well, every part of me looks great… and I don't have to wear school uniform anymore!" she raised an eyebrow "how come?" I laughed "school colours are black and blue with a gold trim, I'm permanently those colours now" she nodded "oh yeah… how could I not realise that?" I resumed devouring my meat as she sat beside me… "John… it must be odd getting used to all the new anatomy… I mean, the different body, the senses…" I murmured "oh yeah… well… I think I'm used to this body now… it feels just right…" she sighed "yeah, I knew Lucarios suited you down to the bone… I just had no idea you were destined to mutate into one…" I cringed "please don't use the term 'mutate', I prefer to say 'changed'…" she laughed "okay then, 'changed'…"

We both finished and left, it was Drama next, a lesson I always enjoyed, if only for it's overly nice teacher, Mr. Madhatter. As we headed there, he walked up along next to us… it was somewhat reassuring that he arrived in the classroom at the same time as us, if rather unprofessional. Straight away, he sighed and said "I'm real sorry, John… if I could help in any way…" I smiled to him "it's alright… I'm actually growing to like this" his face went blank for a few seconds, then he laughed "I never knew you used to be a furry in your past life!" Lucy looked at him and said "sir!… that's a bit personal isn't it!?" he laughed again "I suppose your right… I kind of knew he was though, after the IT manager found him sifting through those furry websites…" I blushed "well, at least now I have a really decent excuse…" we headed inside and set out our equipment… shortly after us, the rest of the class arrived. Drama was one of only two lessons which Jack was not in, so it was a great relief. "Okay then folks, get out your textbooks… the blue ones… and turn to page ninety-seven, we're moving on to the Pokémon mine coup of the 1850s" as Lucy turned the pages for me, I remembered this period from last year's studies, it was the beginning of the Pokémon rights movement… I mused to myself how lucky I am to be living nowadays, and not then, or else I'd be screwed over.

"Now, answer the questions on why humans began to join in with the protests, this was the pivotal turning point which caused the government to cave in…" he began to write and draw on the board, illustrating his points. He turned back around "okay then, after you've all finished that, I have a special task that we can start…" Lucy raised an eyebrow "special task?" he nodded with a mischievous grin "I came up with it earlier today… you know the failed assassination plot in 1853?" we all nodded, and Nancy said "yeah, the one where the second-in-command of the protest leader was almost assassinated by a knife-wielding human, but he managed to fight him off… why?" he laughed "that second-in-command guy was a Lucario… so after this morning's little happening, I have banded together with the other Drama departments, and we are going to make a small play for the rest of the school…" he pointed squarely at me "… and John is going to be the star of the show!" I began to blush heavily… acting? There was a reason why I didn't take Preforming arts as one of my subjects, I tend to get embarrassed when acting… but would this be different?

"Sir, when are we actually doing this thing?" I asked, he laughed "oh not for a while yet John, probably at the end of this term…" I sighed and slumped back into my chair… I couldn't see myself going from humble human to Pokémon revolutionary in one day. The rest of the lesson was easy and mildly entertaining, with all the jokes and laughs as they always were, I was a fan of Drama, but I preferred to stay away from the stage and acting stuff, but we have to do it from now on.

As we left, I went to go to my last lesson of the day… Art, but I felt Lucy's hand on my shoulder "I'm not surprised that you forgot after all that's happened today, John, but our final lesson has been replaced by as special assembly, hasn't it?" I rolled my eyes "a LOT of special stuff is happening today…" she giggled "oh come on John, it's everyday a genuine Pokémon Ranger comes to your school and does an assembly" I smiled "yeah, I guess, but I hope they…" I paused mid-sentence… Rangers were hard-line protectors of everything natural in the world… how would he or she react when I came into view?… wouldn't they find an ex-human to be something completely wrong in the natural balance of the world? Once again, Lucy's hand patted my back "Quit worrying!… I'm sure they'll be fine about you…" I yelped "how did you know!?" she laughed "it's so easy to tell when your panicking, your eyes dart about like crazy… you really don't live up to the Lucario macho-man stereotype…" I blushed "hey, I do so"

We filed into the main hall and sat down… when the entire senior school was inside, the lights dimmed… I noticed a figure move to the centre of the stage, and the lights flicked back on. He was garbed in an unusual uniform and had a great array of tools, ropes and devices slung on his person… "Hello pupils!" he said in an attempt to mock like a rock star at the beginning of a travelling gig. "Are you ready to find out about being a good person in the natural world!?" there was an abject lack of cheering… he sighed, then began his speech "okay then, well, I'm Richard, and I'm a Ranger… you may have met one of us before, we are a large organisation that spans over half of the world. I myself am from the department of habitat protection and correct waste disposal, I'm the guy who makes sure people don't go damaging or altering the natural habitats of this place…" I whispered to Nancy "I expected a little more fanfare…" out the corner of my eye, I noticed him catch sight of me, immediately he turned to the headmaster and asked "I thought you said they weren't allowed to bring Pokémon into school?!" however… the microphone was still on, and his question resounded around the entire hall, triggering the crowd to burst into hysterics, and I began to panic. The headmaster told him "I apologise for the confusion, but he is John, he is one of our pupils, but sadly, he had a genetic disorder which turned him into a Lucario just this morning…" there was a brief silence, for just a second the crowd realised how un-cool their laughter was… "oh… okay… sorry John…" he said, waving to me "… may I say you look awesome today… uhhh… being a Lucario really suits you… yeah…" I smiled "thanks, Richard"


	3. Chapter 3 A Nutty Friend

**Chapter 3**

**A Nutty Friend**

We left the hall, with the ranger away and the presentation finished, It was finally home time... I had a rough day to put it mildly, All I had wanted to do is ho home and rest my feet or paws. I got on the school bus and headed to the back to sit in my usual place and a young girl budged closer to me, she couldn't have been more than ten years old, she looked into my eyes and said "hello mister Lucario…" I smiled to her "hey… my name is John" her eyes opened wide "your John?… woaaahh… you're a Lucario now?" I nodded "yeah, I am… it's going to take some getting used to… what's your name?" she grinned "Alice… I'm nine and a half!", but I didn't want to talk down to her. "That's great… I'm sixteen…" she reached out and put her arm on my thigh "what's it like being a Pokémon?" I thought for a moment, then said "well, it's pretty fun, but I need people to help me with fiddly stuff… I only have paws now, no fingers…" she giggled "your all fluffy and warm" I blushed, embarrassed but yet happy with her comment "thank you… you're a nice person, Alice, maybe we should keep in touch…" she nodded "sure!… here's the number for my phone" she said, holding out a scrap of paper with numbers on it "thanks" I said, taking the number and putting it into my bag. She looked at me with a little more seriousness "are you always going to be a Lucario?" her question struck a nerve… even if I did like being a Lucario more than being a human, it was still hard to swallow. "Y… yes… I need some time to get used to it, but I'll be fine…" she looked me in the eye "what's it like, being in those poke-balls!?" I shook my head "sorry, I have no idea, I don't like the thought of being 'caught', that's why Lucy is standing in as my trainer, but without the poke-ball" she laughed "Lucy?… the girl with the big bottom?" I cringed… Lucy was only sitting on the seat behind me, but she did have quite a large ass, and I didn't want to argue with Alice… so I bit the bullet "uhhh… yeah, that's the one" there was a brief silence, then I heard a voice behind me "What did you just say?" I hesitated to answer as I didn't want to anger her. Abruptly, the bus came to a halt… the driver simply sighed "ahh shit" then turned around to us… "okay then kiddies, there's been an accident… the Ford Marsh Crossing bridge collapsed after a angry Charizard demolished it's main support and brought the whole thing down… I have just been informed, and so I'm going to have to drop you all off here and then turn back" a moan of irritation swept through the bus… Alice stood up and said "is he okay?" the bus driver laughed "what, that damn lizard?… I don't know, probably" the people on board began to file off the bus… it was pouring with rain, but luckily, we were near my mother's best friend's house. However, as I began to walk down the road, I heard a voice from behind me "Lucy… I… I…" I turned around to see Alice near to tears "I have nowhere to go…" my conscience kicked in, and I ran back to her, shielding her from the rain with my arm "look… uhhh… I… well, I have a friend here, we can stay at her house… c'mon…" I set off, beckoning her to follow me. We dashed through the streets, several times she nearly fell over, but I managed to catch her and keep her going. Finally, we came under the shelter of the front porch… my mother's friend is called Ann, she is a well travelled explorer and tourist… I could only hope that she wasn't on another world trip. So I reached up and attempted to press the doorbell, however, it was a button that a paw just couldn't reach in and press, so I had to push my nail into the small hole and almost breaking the bell.

" one second " the voice responded, in her cheerful yet sarcastic manner… then the door opened, and I saw her in front of me. She was a portly woman, quite short… her face slowly changed from a smile to a look of confusion as she saw me "who are you?" I sighed "I'm sorry… this is going to be really hard to explain to you, but it's seriously no joke I'm playing here…" her gaze went up and down once more, she then mumbled "I recognise that voice… wait… it can't be…" I nodded "yes… I… I'm afraid so… but… it's not that ba-" she interrupted me "oh whoa! That's a REALLY realistic costume John!… where did you get it?!" I gave a sigh so large that, if this were an anime, a visible cloud would have escaped my mouth. "No, Ann… seriously… I… I had a genetic condition, only found out about it this morning… when it did this to me" she paused… seemingly in shocked about the fact that her best friend's son had suddenly transformed into a Lucario. "I… uhhh…" she said "really… well, you'd best come in anyway, it's pouring down with rain and is this your little friend too" I nodded, ushering Alice in ahead of me… she was scared, unsure of what to make of my mother's nutty friend… I patted her shoulder reassuringly and followed her in. The house was kitted out with the same old décor, Ann and her husband, Ronald did a lot of travelling, particularly to the U.S.A, so they both had a slight American accent… their house too was affected by their travels; the walls were hung with all kinds of souvenirs ranging from Zulu shields and spears all the way to shop souvenirs from the Japanese Islands. Ann beckoned us to sit down on her large, semi-circular leather sofa… although it wasn't really important, the fine leather in combination with my now furred rump made it the most comfortable seat I've ever been in.

"I presume you're here after the bridge incident, right John?" I nodded "yeah, me and Alice here needed somewhere to take shelter… and I wanted to see you again anyway" she sniggered "that's alright love, as long as your still house-trained!" her and Alice both broke into a laugh, she added the words " Do we need a dog bowl as well? I just sighed again. Ann calmed down and then looked at me seriously "but… I mean, even if you have still got the same brain and all, being a Lucario is much different to being a human… what are you gonna do?… and what about school?" I looked down at the floor, thinking with closed eyes "I… I managed well enough today at school… I guess I just need a scribe to write for me, that's all" Ann grinned, pleased with my answer "good, nice to know you haven't given up hope" I looked up at her "given up hope?… b… but, I like this… this form, it suits me more than being a human ever did" she looked a little confused by my statement, but being a traveller who was used to a few Lucarios around, she was very understanding "well, that's good then… h… HEY!, watch where you put that damn spike!" I looked to my left to see that my wrist was dangerously close to the arm-rest… so I immediately lifted my arm back to my lap "sorry"

That moment, Sasuke walked in… unlike his wife, he was quite tall, and not quite as wide… he had a vacant smile and a permanently red nose that boasted a wealth of experience in drinking. "Hey… who are these two?" he asked, pointing vaguely at me and Alice… I was surprised he hadn't overheard our conversation. "You'll never believe this dear, the little girl is Alice, and the dog… uhhh… Lucario… that's John, believe it or not!" Sasuke's eyes widened… he quickly waved his hand in front of his face to make sure he was sober, then said "h… how did he… manage to turn into a Dog, exactly?" I interrupted as politely as I could "it's a genetic condition… it's so rare that only I and two or three other folks ever had it, and I'm the first to actually become a Lucario from it" Sasuke half smiled "well… I guess… that's interesting, but don't tell me I have to get you chew-toys for Christmas now?" I joined in the group laughter this time "oh no, don't worry Sasuke… I might not be human any more, but I'm still all for boxes of chocolates!" (I am not sure of why, but after I became a Lucario, I have experienced great cravings for chocolate…), Ann prepared the guest room for us, and after several jokes about leashes and dog-beds, she finally finished "there you go, two beds… and they are identical, so don't worry about who gets the best kip or whatever" I nodded to her as she left the room "thanks, Ann… I owe you even more now" she smiled "good, you can clean the kitchen floor again tomorrow" I grumbled "fine…" as her light-hearted cackle faded into the distance, Alice stood by the bed, looking at me awkwardly "John… I… think you should leave now" I raised an eyebrow "why? I'm sleeping here too…" she blushed "p… please leave" I put my hands on my hips "why should I leave?" she lowered her head "I need to get changed" at that precise moment, I felt like a complete idiot… what's more, it made me out to look like a really perverted, I had to clear my name now, or earn the title 'Pervy Lucario' forever more. "Oh! sorry, I forgot! I'll go right away, just say when your finished! Sorry!" and with that, I darted out the room.

In my eagerness to close the door, I accidentally slammed it on my tail…, so I slowly slid my tail out of the doorframe, and closed the door. I held it in front of me and inspected it for injury… to my surprise, it was still immaculate, it just stung a little… obviously being a 'Fighting/Steel' meant it took more than a casual mistake to do me any real harm. "Okay, you can come back in now" I re-entered the room to see her in her night gown… it was bright pink in colour with a white border on the bottom of the sleeves. "Well… it's finally time to get some shut-eye… I'll see you in the morning, Alice" she nodded "you too, doggy" I smiled pleasantly at the name… it certainly beat my old nicknames back in school. As I laid down, the adrenaline rush I had from all the unusual happenings today faded, and the exhaustion of my earlier transformation set in… I could hardly move and my body ached… I had to sleep, I rolled up ontop of the bed and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4 Returning Home

**Chapter 4**

**Returning Home**

I raised my head, and saw the morning sunshine cascading through the window and marking a funny pattern on the middle of the floor… with a slight yawn I arched my back and stretched. I slowly got out of bed, stumbling a little as I adjusted to the floor in the room which must have been a half meter lower than mine at home. Leaving Alice to keep on sleeping, I headed downstairs to find Ann and Ronald watching the news on TV, suddenly, I was wide awake as I heard my name "… we believe John was suffering from a bizarre genetic condition, we tried to act as normally as we could about it, and the pupils made a great effort not to scream at the sight of him… but over five people fainted after being told…" I rushed into the room, and stared intently at the TV… Ann sniggered "your famous…" on the screen, I could see CCTV footage from the school's cameras… it was of me in the lab, just after I had transformed fully… I hadn't noticed it before, but as I did, many of the pupils look horrified… but the teacher begins to talk to them, and most of them seemed slightly more calm. The voice of the correspondent carried on "… it's impossible to say when, or even if this Lucario-boy will ever be accepted into society. Previously recorded cases of Triggered Genetic Mutation Disorder resulted in the victim being unlawfully executed or exiled, but we've come a long way since then… Angus McCreed, reporting."

I looked down at the floor, deep in thought… so, when everyone was being really nice to me. they didn't want to, they had just been told to do so by the staff? I was the result of a rare genetic abnormality, and if people here were anything like the people in medieval China where it last occurred… I would be shunned for it? I shook my head in disbelief, and said to myself "no, that is not the way, I'm just a Lucario now, people are okay with it, they have to be!" Ann looked around at me "John, calm down, it's just the news trying to kick up a fuss, it's how they make their living" I sighed, sitting down next to her "you think?" she nodded, and patted my head in-between my tall ears "I know so, they made more of a fuss out of me and Sasuke's trip to Malaysia than they did with this, sure people might have been a little more freaked out by you than they were told to let on, but nobody hates you for it, we aren't a bunch of barbarians here" I smiled, both at her reassuring wisdom, and the fact her now stroking my head felt really nice "thanks, Ann… I don't know how to repay you" she interrupted me again by simply stating "I told you, clean my kitchen!" I nodded gingerly "yeah, but… I'll go get a drink, I can barely talk here" and with that, I got up and walked into the kitchen.

To my surprise, I managed to lift and pour the carton of orange juice without any mistakes, perhaps I wasn't as incapable as I first imagined. I picked up the glass in both paws, but nearly dropped it as I turned around to see Alice directly in front of me. "Ohh… hey again, had a good sleep?" I said, regaining my grip, she nodded slowly, I then headed back into the living room with her in tow, and we both took a seat. Ron looked over to me and asked "so if you're a Pokémon now or whatever… does that mean your going to go about fighting others or something?" I thought to myself for a moment, then said "well Lucy, a good friend of mine, said she'd be my 'trainer' if I ever needed one, but to be honest I'd rather try to live a human life" he nodded "yeah, I imagined that was so, who'd want to get squashed into a ball huh?" Alice interjected "actually, they don't just squash into them, they" Sasuke interrupted her "yeah yeah, thanks for explaining, but I know how they work… huh, silly Japanese technology, why can't they just catch them and train them like normal animals… like we do" I smiled "well I have no idea which is the most productive, but I do appreciate the sentiment; a pet is for life, not just for fighting others"

After we had gotten something to eat, I decided it was best to head home, before Ann did actually make me clean the kitchen floor. "Say, Alice, where do you live?" she quietly mumbled "West street, last house on the left of the second cul-de-sac" my eyes widened "whoa, no jokes, I live back-to-back with you!" she half smiled "that's nice… but how are we going to get back, after the bridge got damaged?" I smiled to her "don't worry, there is a ford in the river, only about a mile from here" she sighed "but I don't want to walk that far" I rolled my eyes "if you get tired, I'll carry you, okay?" she nodded, so she got changed and we set off. I couldn't help but regret making that promise to her, as despite the fact I am classified as the awfully gruff sounding 'Fighting/Steel' type, though luckily I am pretty durable, as was proven by the little door accident the previous night. After about an hour of carrying the little girl, I came across the ford in question… it was about knee deep, and quite swift, crossing wouldn't be easy. "Ehh… right then… how are we gonna go about this?" I murmured, putting my paw to my mouth in thought, she smiled "it's easy!… all you have to do is carry me and walk across, you're a Lucario, your all tough and macho and that!"

I stifled a laugh, "Yeah, alright… stand still, and please don't squirm" I said, lifting her up once again. I tentatively dipped my paw in the water, and as I suspected, it was freezing to the touch, and jumped and withdrew, causing Alice to giggle. I said to myself under my breath "c'mon man, get it together… get it together…" I had to do this, I was the knight in shining armour, saving the damsel in distress!… well, okay, I was a human that had mutated into a Lucario, and I was carrying a small child across a slightly cold river, but the thought was still there! With reckless abandon I charged into the ford, but what was at first a surging, valiant charge quickly turned into me hopping and skipping across the ford, trying to make as little contact with the water as I could "this-is-so-very-very-cold!" I said, speaking in-between jumps… eventually, we reached the other side, and I set her down with a great sigh of relief. She turned to me and grinned "you should be my big Lucario buddy who sorts out all my problems like that, you'd be great!" I felt a little uneasy, "ehhm… well, I did kind of promise Lucy that I would be her-" I was cut off as she yanked my tail "I SAID you'd be great, got it?" I forced a smile, my eyes closed "uhhh, yeah, sure, no harm in mixed leadership…" she thankfully let go "good, now, John, let's head back home" I nodded "you got that right, I can't wait to see mum again…" I looked down at my Lucario body "… even if I do have a lot of explaining to do"

After another few minutes of walking, we reached my home street; it was pretty average looking, save for the fact that my mother had planted a load of those cherry trees in our garden, "Well, I guess this is where we part" I sad, putting my paw on her shoulder, she nodded "I'll see you later, Doggy, maybe we can do something fun tomorrow too!" I went to give her a thumbs up, but then didn't when I remembered I have no thumbs "yeah, great idea… bye!" and with that, we walked in opposite directions… I felt mighty satisfied with myself and all I had achieved in the last twenty-four hours… and my parents had already been informed of my transformation, so hopefully all would go according to plan. I came within about a hundred odd meters of the house before the door burst open and my mum came charging out "oh my dear!" with her arms spread wide, intending to hug me. I stuck my arms out "no, wait!.. you'll impale yourself!" and she stopped, noticing my spiky chest "John, I'm so sorry about the other day" I sighed, she smiled meekly, coming back into the house with me. We both sat down on the sofa in silence, both wondering what to say to the other. Eventually, my mother broke the silence "so what are you going to do now?" I sighed, knowing that difficult question was coming, but it was one that needed an answer "I'm gonna finish with school… but I can't just live my life out like a completely normal human, it's just not possible"

She nodded in agreement "so then… what do you think is the best path to take?" I sighed "you know, I'm getting a lot of offers from people like Alice and Lucy to be their "pets", I think I may actually have to live the life of a Lucario, rather than a human" my mother put her hand on my thick-furred thigh and stroked it gently in a mothering way "well as long as you are happy, John… if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come back and ask me, we only live a street away from those two anyway…" I smiled, putting my paw on top of her hand "thanks, mum… things aren't so bad after all, eh?" she sighed "I guess not". I hugged her at a slight angle, so that I wouldn't bring my spike to bear on her, and she hugged me too "John, you may be a… a…" I interrupted her "a Lucario" she nodded "… you may be a Lucario now, but your still my boy, and I still love you" I grinned "I wouldn't have it any other way, mum" we hugged for what seemed forever… before then, I had been hugged by friends, teachers, and even by Lucy… but I had never, ever felt quite as at home as I did then.

The moment was interrupted as my dad came rushing into the room, he had obviously rushed home early from work "good lord, what happened to you, John!?" he said, running up to me and kneeling down so we were at the same level. "Dad, don't worry, I'm alright" I said, a little worried that he was about to break down or something "dear lord… my son is a Pokémon… this is… I… I need a lie down" me and my mum both sniggered as he rolled his eyes… somehow, things weren't gonna be all that different after all.


	5. Chapter 5 Let the Adventure Begin

**Chapter 5**

**Let the Adventure Begin!**

After about an hour's worth of talking with my mother and father, I decided to go around to Lucy's place and to see her, I couldn't be entirely sure of what would happen, but she was my good friend… more than a friend to me, and so I wouldn't be put off by a little doubt. "Okay, mum, I'm heading over to Lucy's, me and her need a talk too" my mother simply nodded, she was still a little shocked over the whole situation, so it was probably best I let her get over with things while I wasn't around. I fumbled around with the door handle, eventually opening it and I then left the house, closing the door behind me… I wasn't entirely sure of where Lucy lived, but I knew it was in the street behind our house, and I could easily recognise the girly pink house she had from some distance. I started to head up the street cautiously, Pokémon weren't a common sight in our area, especially not walking, talking ones that used to be humans, I ended up attracting a few stares. As I came up to the path that connected my street with the next one up, I could hear voices around a corner, I decided to listen.

"Hey, Ice-Pick, we alone now?" anyone with a name like 'Ice-Pick' probably wasn't a good person to hang around, so I decided to remain where I was till they had gone. "Yeah, fo' sure… hey, Gutter, why you lookin' so mad?" a chill ran down my spine as the familiar voice of Jack responded "damn it man, today sucked serious ass" I decided I needed to listen in. Jack, or 'Gutter' as he was nicknamed, was chatting with what sounded to be gangster-types… aka a recipe for disaster. The first speaker asked "explain it for me, bro" to which Jack responded, with a annoyed voice "did you see the news?… you know, where the AIDS kid turned into a freakin' Mongrel?" Ice-Pick laughed and said "heh, sure did, that was freakin' nuts, but what's it gotta do with you, man?" Jack grumbled "that inbred freak was in my class, and I tortured him, apparently, it made him transform faster or some shit like that, and the teachers went an' expelled me for it, no warnings, no nothin'…" I couldn't help but smile to myself, my Jack problems seemed to be over at last!

Another voice came in "I thought you said you hated that school, home-boy?" Jack began pacing up and down, I could hear his footfalls "yeah, but it's the moral of the thing, yeah?… that damn retard really messed things up, and the bitch of a mother had a go at me too, man I wish my ma would just stay quiet sometimes" The fact that he was blaming me made me even more nervous… he was out of school, in a street gang, and had nothing to lose. Suddenly, a loud mobile phone ring-tone sounded out. "yeah, what is it?…" I turned around and sighed, they would hopefully disperse soon, meaning I could keep going. I looked up, and my heart sank like lead… there was an angry looking woman staring straight at me, also talking into a phone… I could hear her voice "You homies talkin' on the alleyway between blueberry and newhome streets?" I knew I should have fled then and there, but I was frozen to the spot in fear "yeah, that's where we are…" The woman glared down with renewed vigour "there's a mongrel freak eavesdropping' on ya, just round the corner!" I meekly stuttered "oh c.. crap"

Immediately, Jack, Ice-Pick and the third man went round the corner and formed a semi-circle around me, blocking any hopes of escape… they looked like the stereotypical street-thugs, even Jack blended in with them, now that he was out his school uniform. "What the hell kind of game are you tryin' pull, huh?" the third guy said, pointing at me aggressively "hold it, Sparks, this dog is mine to deal with" Jack growled, taking a step closer to me… I looked nervously up at him, tail between my legs "hold on guys, I wasn't trying to listen in, I swear, I was going to Lucy's house!" he grunted, folding his arms "but you just couldn't help havin' a laugh at me, could ya?… I think I'm gonna fix you up right now…" he said, taking a pair of brass knuckles from his pocket, I was in such a state of absolute fear I was bordering on becoming hysterical "please man, please!… I promise, I'll do anything!" he paused for a second… it felt like a whole hour of silence passed as his mouth slowly twisted into a cruel smile "oh yeah?… well, I've got something for you, kiss my feet, NOW!" I nodded profusely, and bent down, kissing the top of his shoe with some difficulty due to my nose getting in the way. "okay… now lick it, make it nice and clean!" he lifted his shoe and presented the sole of it to me… luckily, it wasn't encrusted with grime or filth, but it wasn't exactly shining either. I tentatively reached out with my tongue, and began to lick his shoe. Why was I doing this?… couldn't I just take them on?… no, not possible, It will make things worse. I finished cleaning the sole, and spat the last of the dirt from my mouth. "Good mut… now get the hell away from me before I break you!" He then booted me in the head, I jumped up and ran off, running as fast as I could towards Lucy's house. but then I noticed that the kick didn't hurt, even though he had full on kicked me ~ while I was thinking and running I nearly got hit by a car, I had made it there, so I knocked on the door frantically.

Lucy answered it, wearing her mahogany dressing-gown, and looked at me "oh goodness, John, you look like a mess, what happened to you!?" I staggered inside, only now noticing the tears streaming down my face "Jack… he's in a gang, they ambushed me and… and…" I slumped onto the sofa, crying like a complete coward. Lucy sat next to me and patted my back, rubbing my fur "yeah, that's okay, take a minute to calm down… " I looked at her, trying to string together a understandable sentence "he threatened me, I had to act like his pet, and he's got company, two of them!" she nodded "I've heard stuff like this before… you'd best stay here for now, you'll be safe" I buried my face in my paws "oh I'm so useless!… what kind of person am I if I breakdown like that!?" she shook her head "don't beat yourself up, man!… look, just put it behind you, and avoid Jack and his mob in future" I nodded "yeah, you're right… thanks, Lucy, I'm touched you want to side with me" she laughed "Jack is a jerk, even if you were a complete stranger I'd take your side!" I smiled a little, Lucy was always good at cheering me up "yeah… Lucy, remember what you said to me on the bus?" the smile was wiped from her face "Lucy… you do know I was joking, right?… I didn't actually MEAN that!" She nodded, letting a little sigh escape "yeah, I guess" she sniggered "I mean, I would never ever mean stuff like that.. you know"

She handed me a tissue, and I did as best I could to dry the fur on my cheeks… she then got up "can I get you something?" I forced a smile "a drink would be really nice, thanks" she did a bow with her dressing-gown and said "as it pleases you, master" in an imitation of a eighteen-hundreds maid's voice. I laughed "I thought you were meant to be my master, remember?" she cackled "oh yeah, touché, I'm gonna have to give you some commands, my lovely little Lucario-boy!" She came back in holding a glass of orange juice… I gladly accepted it and downed half it's measure in one go "thanks loads, I needed that" she chuckled "that's plain to see… so John, apart from what just happened, how's the whole Lucario thing been?" I sat back, putting my arms over the top of the sofa "mixed bag really… I mean, it's really fun, and I think I've gotten used to the whole physical aspect, but there's still some stuff I need to be familiar with" she shrugged "I wouldn't know, but I'll pretend to understand to make you feel better…" I grinned "I still need to work out how to use my Aura…"

She looked at me with a mischievous glint in her eye "I've got a punching bag in my room, shall we go try it out?" I rolled my eyes "alright then, but if something goes wrong, it's your fault, not mine" she walked up the stairs, beckoning me to follow "whatever you say, pet" When we got into her room, she pointed to the large cylindrical object hanging by a chain from the ceiling "it was originally there for when I was taking anger-management… but now it's your turn, eh?" I nodded vaguely, looking it over "this isn't like just punching something… I kinda need to learn what to do to use Aura first…" Lucy shrugged "I know this sounds lame, but I'll look it up on the internet… bound to be something…" I threw a few test punches at the bag, it'd been a while since I last used one, and I'd never done it before with paws instead of hands. "Yeah, sure… let me know when you find something" she turned on her PC and it slowly stirred into action, judging by the noises it made it clearly wasn't brand new. "What do you think I should search for, John? Your more of a geek than I am" I laughed "ironic then that I became the fighting Pokémon then huh?" she gave me a blank look "Fighting and Steel, actually" I grumbled "you know what I meant… and yeah, what to search" she lifted her finger "ohh, how about 'How to use Aura'?" I smiled "sounds really obvious and blatant… let's try it!" she typed in the sentence and began the search, after we sifted through the junk, we managed to find a feasible website named 'Aura Training'. We brought up the information page, and it read as follows…

"My names is G. Aaron, and for ten years my family history has been my passion. I was overjoyed when, only recently, I discovered I am a blood relative of the great Sir Aaron, the knowledge that I am of his family has kept me content and happy… until now. I have discovered a vault left by the aforementioned ancestor which contains his own personal diary, as one of his few surviving relatives, I have the right to claim it, but I need help. Sir Aaron shared a strong bond with a Lucario, and as a result, he stored this treasured object in such a way that only a Lucario could find it, and so I am willing to make an offer. Any trainer in the possession of a sentient, intelligent Lucario, or a Lucario so sentient that it is reading this text of it's own accord can help me to locate this object, and in return, I shall help to unlock a portion of it's potential through a unique training regime. If this offer interests you and/or your Lucario, don't hesitate to contact me via E-mail on the following address.

P.S: Riolu don't count, as they don't fit the requirements."

I paused a moment to take it all in… Lucy grinned from ear to ear "this sounds awesome!" I smiled "yeah… it's almost like some kind of movie, or video-game… let's do it!"

(I will be having a break for a day or two before starting the next chapter, as iv been typing non stop for two days... so be welcome to comment about this story/fanfic and any ideas you've got that you think I should put in) XD


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